Dallas County, TX Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

The Dallas County Historical Commission operates under Code of Ordinances Division 5, Chapter 2. Sec. 2-161 charges the commission with advising the Commissioners Court on historic preservation and initiating programs including locating and recommending historical sites and structures for marking, fostering protection of historical sites and documents, and preserving the county's historical heritage. Sec. 2-162 sets the commission at 15 members appointed by the Commissioners Court to staggered two-year terms beginning February 1 of odd-numbered years, three per court member, with a six-year service cap per appointee.

Sec. 2-164 requires a minimum of six regularly scheduled meetings a year, a majority quorum, written notice at least 72 hours before each meeting, open meetings, and kept minutes; Sec. 2-165 deems a member resigned after missing more than 25 percent of scheduled meetings in a February-to-January cycle. Sec. 2-167 lists the commission's duties: maintaining the county's historic sites survey, identifying and recommending historic marker sites, promoting preservation of historic structures, and preparing an annual report for the state historical commission. The controlling limit sits at Sec.

2-169: the commission cannot recommend a state historical marker to the Texas Historical Commission without the property owner's consent, and cannot recommend any other historical designation or demolition protection without the Commissioners Court's separate approval. Sec. 00 or not otherwise budgeted. Sec. 2-171 lets the commission consider funding a historic resource survey outside a municipality only when the target city has not recently been surveyed, has given formal consent, and county funding will not exceed what the city would have received had it participated directly.